Strategy for next WTO meet urged

Speakers at a view exchange meeting said the government should formulate a strategy for exploring facilities for the country in the next World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting in 2006.

They also said the government should take necessary steps with the civil society before taking any final decision.

The day-long view exchange meeting on ‘Hong Kong WTO Ministerial and Peoples Resistance 13-18 December 2005: Reflections, Critique and Assessment for Future Actions’ held at the Dhaka Reporters Unity Auditorium in the city yesterday.

In the first session on ‘Defining the Issues: Reviewing the Final Text’, reviewed the final WTO text of Hong Kong Ministerial from the perspective of Bangladesh’s interests. The reviewers highlighted the areas that speakers need to focus on future strategies and actions. Journalist Farhad Mazhar moderated the session.

Rashed Mahmud Titumir, Workers Party leader Haider Akbar Khan Rono, Asgar Ali Sabri, MA Awal of Campaign for Good Governance, Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, pharmacist Maksud Al Islam and Ziaul Haque Mukta of Karmajibi Nari spoke on the occasion.

In the second session on ‘Defining our Role’, reviewed on speakers experience in Hong Kong, where Asgar Ali Sabri of Action AID, moderated the session.

Syed Saiful Hoque, Chairman of WARBE, garments workers leader Shamima Nasreen, Shamsudhoha, Abdullah Al Mamun and Tushar Rahman of Citizen Rights Movement, spoke on the occasion.

The third session on ‘Reflections on People’s Caravan, where Ahmed Swapan Mahmud moderated the session. Shawkat Ali, Mir Abul Kalam Azad and abul Hossain Rana, spoke on the occasion.

At the last session on ‘Strategic to Build Capacities and Effective Action’, Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir moderated the session, while Nasimul Ahsan Dipu, Shishir Sil, Jakir Hossain, among others, spoke on the occasion.

Speakers said although the country’s export has marked a sustainable rise and its external trade is basically dependent on a few items, like garments and frozen foods, its market is also not sufficiently large.

They critisied the rich states for their efforts in the last Hong Kong WTO talks to press the poor states for opening their markets for manufacturing units of the developed nations and adopt reservations on allowing duty-free market access to the major exporting items, mainly agri-products and garments of the LDCs.